I jumped up from the couch as if it were on fire. It was my sad pathetic attempt to get as far away from Shannon as possible. "He's really in New York? Why didn't you just tell me that when I got here instead of inviting me in and leading me to believe that he was here?"
He leaned back against the cushion, gazing at me with a most satisfying grin. "Come on sweetheart, are you honestly gonna tell me that you truly thought he was here?" He licked his lips and winked. "That you didn't come all the way over here just to see me?" He had to know how extremely nervous he made me, so why would he deliberately mislead me? "I have to say, I'm a little hurt Carrie." He had his hand over his chest as if I'd really hurt his feelings.
From his grin, to the sarcastic tone in his voice, I was irritated, yet slightly turned on. I knew he was just fucking with me, testing my limits. Yeah, well, I fully intended to fight fire with fire. Shaking my head, I leaned down and snatched my purse. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm sure that your ego is big enough to cushion the blow. I'll see myself out."
He spread his arms out across the back of the couch and parted his legs, one foot steadily bouncing. That sadistic grin, followed by another quick wink accompanied his next comment. "Oh, it's definitely big enough. You just don't know what you're missing baby."
I couldn't deny the way he made my heart race, and wanted to get the hell out of there before something happened I'd regret. "Thank you for your help. Have a nice evening Shannon." Not even allowing him the chance to follow me to the door, I was pretty sure I could hear him laughing as the door closed.
'Did that really just happen?' I asked myself, sliding behind the wheel. 'Who the hell does he think he is?' I continued talking to myself like some mentally challenged person, and could only imagine what the people in the car next to me were thinking. At least if Shannon was going to be out on a date tomorrow night, Jared and I would be alone. Saturday couldn't come fast enough, I knew that was the day that he was supposed to be moving out, and I couldn't wait.
I unlocked my door and stepped inside, rushing down the hallway and into my bedroom. Throwing myself across the bed, I pulled my phone from my purse, sending a text to Jared.
'Well, I see you've turned into Houdini. I made an impromptu visit to your house, only to find you weren't there.'
I lay there for a few minutes, playing a game on my phone and thinking back to the things Shannon said to me when I showed up unannounced. My mind drifted as I lay there, and I ended up pulling up fan videos of the band. I found myself enjoying it far more than I should have.
No sooner did I plug the phone in and start to get ready for a shower, did my phone chime. I hurried out to pick up the phone and read his text.
'I'm so sorry, I had to fly out and didn't have a chance to tell you. I'll make it up to you, I promise.'
His sweet apology made me grin and I loved the way our energy vibrated in such a unique way, each perfectly complimenting the other. I bit my bottom lip, pulling every stitch of clothing from my body and grabbed the phone, snapping a photo of my clothes in a pile on the floor with the caption.
'Since you're playing Houdini, thought I'd play too. Just about to shower.'
"That's not fair," he said directly into my ear as I answered his call on the very first ring. "You know that you're going to have to show me something, Carrie."
"Hey, you started it, and besides, you'll see me tomorrow. I'll gladly show you anything you want to see then." I knew I was only teasing him and would more than likely pay for it. Yesterday I felt it every time I sat down.
He giggled, but confidently let me know that he wasn't playing my little game. "Oh, and I will finish it, but what if I were to say I don't want to wait that long?" The low rumble of his voice was comforting, and I felt guilty for thinking about his brother the way I had been.
"Then I'd say come get me." I taunted him, knowing that there was absolutely no possible way for him to come home tonight. "Goodnight, Jared."
He huffed and then spoke like he controlled the world. "Dirty little tease. Enjoy that shower, Carrie. I'll be taking one myself, a cold one. You just wait until I get my hands on you. Goodnight."
Disconnecting the call, I dropped the phone on the vanity and stepped under the cascading hot water. I flushed thinking that Jared actually expected me to show him my naked body. It wasn't the idea that he would see me naked, he's already seen me too many times to count, but just the spontaneity of it. You never know what's gonna happen with Jared.
I finally plugged my phone in and climbed into my comfortable bed, drifting off easily. Lack of sleep was definitely not an issue. I slept in later than usual and spent my day catching up on laundry and running errands. So much to do when you're been out of town and finally have a few days off.
After paying a few bills and doing some light shopping, I lay across the couch, crossing things off of my to do list. At six I started getting ready for my night with Jared. We text back and forth most of the day and settled on staying in tonight. My comfy little outfit was perfect for our movie night.
The uhaul blocking the driveway was proof that Shannon was moving tomorrow. My shoulder relaxed and this would guarantee that our little encounters were coming to an end. I slipped through the open gate and marched up to the door.
Regrettably, it wasn't Jared, who came to the door, but instead Shannon. Sighing, I wasn't prepared to deal with him today. "Hello gorgeous, you smell delicious." I emitted a tiny gasp when I noted the familiar glazing over of his eyes as he looked me up and down. "Jared's on an important call, so you'll have to take a seat on the couch. I'd love to keep you company and snuggle like we did yesterday, but I've got a few more boxes to load into the truck before my date. Make yourself comfortable."
Rolling my eyes, I strolled toward the couch, fully aware of the electricity in the air the moment he began parading himself in front of me. After the third trip, I busied myself on my phone.
Unfortunately, almost twenty minutes elapsed and still no Jared. Changed and dressed to kill, Shannon emerged with another large box and as he glanced neared the door I heard a loud thud. I knew from personal experience the sound of an expensive phone shattering on impact as it hits the floor. "Shit!" He muttered, walking past it and out the door. I stood and walked over to pick it up, it was definitely shattered, and when he got back inside, he took it from my hands, glancing at the damage. His attention didn't stay on the broken device for longer than a few seconds and he tossed it down on a table, pinning me to the nearest wall.
I squirmed and arched up against his broad chest, groaning at the contact of his body heat against my own. The scent of his cologne drifted to my nose and when he pressed his lips to mine, everything blurred. Our breaths mingled, and my heart fluttered in my chest. At first, it was a delicate kiss, but then his arms encircled me, and it became heated, passionate. My fingers curled around the material of his black shirt, and I fought between wanting to pull him closer, and push him away. This was so fucking wrong and I hated myself for feeling this way. How could I betray Jared this way?
